WFC post: where I'll be, hanging out, etc
I'm not on any panels.
I don't have an individual reading.
I do intend to make it to at least part of the following, health allowing:
- Mysterious Galaxy's author event thingy, 7pm on Weds.
- Clarion/CW party, 2-6pm on Friday at the con suite.
I'm unlikely to manage this for long, since parties are exactly the atmosphere to wear me out, but I will stop in.
- Shimmer group reading, noon to 1:45 on Saturday (not sure where yet).
I do plan to read at this event.
- Steam Powered group reading, 4-6 on Saturday (not sure where yet).
I don't plan to read at this event, and won't be there for the first hour, but will try to make it for the end :)
(Oh on the subject of Steam Powered, the ebook of SP1 has been out a while, I just forgot to mention.)
- Poetry open mic, 9-11pm on Saturday, Pacific 6/7
I do plan to read at this event, but am unlikely to last beyond the first hour.
---
If we're meeting up, things you should know:
I'm asthmatic, and have some severe allergies and sensitivities, so, please let me know, and don't hug me or come too close, if:
1) you're a smoker.
Even if you haven't smoked in hours. Residual smoke off your clothing is enough to send me into a serious attack.
2) you have cats or dogs.
If you're certain that your clothes etc have all been washed & not touched by the fuzzy guys, let me know that too and I'll tell you what works depending on my overall state?
3) you're wearing perfume.
Even just a little.
ETA: Actually, also if you use scented laundry detergent :/ In general I'm okay with mild & natural scents, but it's best to be safe.
Also, please don't be offended if I put a scarf over my nose and mouth. Sometimes I have to do this because of allergens wafting by,including ones other people can't even detect.
I have adrenal insufficiency and therefore a joke of an immune system, so, please let me know, and don't hug me or come too close, if:
1) You have a cold.
2) You think you might have a cold but aren't sure.
Let me know in this case & I'll judge based on how I'm doing and whether I'm already on doubled exogenous cortisol vs cold, and frankly when in the con it is :) I'd rather get sick on sunday than thursday!
Also, please don't be offended if I hug or shake hands or use your pen or open the door etc, and immediately use hand sanitizer. I have to do this. It's the only way I can function around other people, especially during flu season.
More about the adrenal insufficiency.
I have trouble:
- Before about 11am and after about 5pm, in all contexts.
One of the things this means is: please don't expect me to remember anything I'm told in the evening/night. This isn't normal forgetfulness, it's major memory blanks.
- If my medication timings go off. Doubt anyone will see me before the morning meds kick in, but expect me to dash off for food & meds around 5pm.
- With stress. If I need to not talk about something troublesome, I'm not overstating that need. This also means I react quite badly to microaggressions, and am not necessarily able to explain why.
It also means I will not be at the awards ceremony, because that built-up excitement around awards is exactly the sort of stress that wipes me out.
- Filtering stimuli. This includes:
Following a conversation when there's more than one conversation audible. I'm somewhat hard of hearing, so this is compounded if I can't see the speaker's lips.
Anything around loud noise, unfamiliar music, or bright lights. (This includes that big one in the sky.)
In general it means I need to be in quiet darkish places with ideally *one* conversation going on, with a few people at a time. And I really can't join any large party for meals.
Normally I have my stuff under control. However:
If you notice someone smoking nearby do please point them out. I may not have seen them, and once I've inhaled any smoke it's a bit too late.
And if you notice people smoking inside the hotel, please say something to them. I was horrendously sick at WFC '09, and lost a MONTH to it, because nobody told the douchebags who were smoking pot or something in the party corridor to take that somewhere else. That sort of general acceptance really harms people with health issues, and is very much an accessibility issue, one where allies are needed pretty desperately.
If I start rambling and/or having trouble finishing sentences, a "how are you doing/are you doing okay" is much appreciated. I may well be working so hard to make sense of external stimuli that I lose track of internal monitoring. Especially if the wheezy has crept up on me unnoticed or my temperature's dropping.
If I'm sounding really breathless, especially if I'm otherwise having trouble functioning, a "You breathing okay?" or "Do you need your inhalor"? is appreciated. Normally I'm good with this, but not if the wheezy creeps up while I'm distracted. This shouldn't happen if I'm not exposed to cat & dog dander, but IDK.
If I start saying it's really cold, especially if it's not, then I'm probably having a temperature drop, and need hot beverages stat. This goes with fuzzy-headedness, memory blanks, incomprehension, difficulty speaking, and mood swings, but rights itself once I warm up again. But sometimes I'm incapable of saying more than "cold cold cold", and expressing what I actually need. (Speaking of which, useful info on WHAT I can drink, thank you mrissa!)
...I think that's it.
I don't have an individual reading.
I do intend to make it to at least part of the following, health allowing:
- Mysterious Galaxy's author event thingy, 7pm on Weds.
- Clarion/CW party, 2-6pm on Friday at the con suite.
I'm unlikely to manage this for long, since parties are exactly the atmosphere to wear me out, but I will stop in.
- Shimmer group reading, noon to 1:45 on Saturday (not sure where yet).
I do plan to read at this event.
- Steam Powered group reading, 4-6 on Saturday (not sure where yet).
I don't plan to read at this event, and won't be there for the first hour, but will try to make it for the end :)
(Oh on the subject of Steam Powered, the ebook of SP1 has been out a while, I just forgot to mention.)
- Poetry open mic, 9-11pm on Saturday, Pacific 6/7
I do plan to read at this event, but am unlikely to last beyond the first hour.
---
If we're meeting up, things you should know:
I'm asthmatic, and have some severe allergies and sensitivities, so, please let me know, and don't hug me or come too close, if:
1) you're a smoker.
Even if you haven't smoked in hours. Residual smoke off your clothing is enough to send me into a serious attack.
2) you have cats or dogs.
If you're certain that your clothes etc have all been washed & not touched by the fuzzy guys, let me know that too and I'll tell you what works depending on my overall state?
3) you're wearing perfume.
Even just a little.
ETA: Actually, also if you use scented laundry detergent :/ In general I'm okay with mild & natural scents, but it's best to be safe.
Also, please don't be offended if I put a scarf over my nose and mouth. Sometimes I have to do this because of allergens wafting by,including ones other people can't even detect.
I have adrenal insufficiency and therefore a joke of an immune system, so, please let me know, and don't hug me or come too close, if:
1) You have a cold.
2) You think you might have a cold but aren't sure.
Let me know in this case & I'll judge based on how I'm doing and whether I'm already on doubled exogenous cortisol vs cold, and frankly when in the con it is :) I'd rather get sick on sunday than thursday!
Also, please don't be offended if I hug or shake hands or use your pen or open the door etc, and immediately use hand sanitizer. I have to do this. It's the only way I can function around other people, especially during flu season.
More about the adrenal insufficiency.
I have trouble:
- Before about 11am and after about 5pm, in all contexts.
One of the things this means is: please don't expect me to remember anything I'm told in the evening/night. This isn't normal forgetfulness, it's major memory blanks.
- If my medication timings go off. Doubt anyone will see me before the morning meds kick in, but expect me to dash off for food & meds around 5pm.
- With stress. If I need to not talk about something troublesome, I'm not overstating that need. This also means I react quite badly to microaggressions, and am not necessarily able to explain why.
It also means I will not be at the awards ceremony, because that built-up excitement around awards is exactly the sort of stress that wipes me out.
- Filtering stimuli. This includes:
Following a conversation when there's more than one conversation audible. I'm somewhat hard of hearing, so this is compounded if I can't see the speaker's lips.
Anything around loud noise, unfamiliar music, or bright lights. (This includes that big one in the sky.)
In general it means I need to be in quiet darkish places with ideally *one* conversation going on, with a few people at a time. And I really can't join any large party for meals.
Normally I have my stuff under control. However:
If you notice someone smoking nearby do please point them out. I may not have seen them, and once I've inhaled any smoke it's a bit too late.
And if you notice people smoking inside the hotel, please say something to them. I was horrendously sick at WFC '09, and lost a MONTH to it, because nobody told the douchebags who were smoking pot or something in the party corridor to take that somewhere else. That sort of general acceptance really harms people with health issues, and is very much an accessibility issue, one where allies are needed pretty desperately.
If I start rambling and/or having trouble finishing sentences, a "how are you doing/are you doing okay" is much appreciated. I may well be working so hard to make sense of external stimuli that I lose track of internal monitoring. Especially if the wheezy has crept up on me unnoticed or my temperature's dropping.
If I'm sounding really breathless, especially if I'm otherwise having trouble functioning, a "You breathing okay?" or "Do you need your inhalor"? is appreciated. Normally I'm good with this, but not if the wheezy creeps up while I'm distracted. This shouldn't happen if I'm not exposed to cat & dog dander, but IDK.
If I start saying it's really cold, especially if it's not, then I'm probably having a temperature drop, and need hot beverages stat. This goes with fuzzy-headedness, memory blanks, incomprehension, difficulty speaking, and mood swings, but rights itself once I warm up again. But sometimes I'm incapable of saying more than "cold cold cold", and expressing what I actually need. (Speaking of which, useful info on WHAT I can drink, thank you mrissa!)
...I think that's it.